Gripping device



March 4, 1930.

H. W. ORNDOFF GRIPPING DEVICE Filed June 18, 1928 2 Sheets-Shee March 4,1930. H. w. ORNDOFF GRIPPING DEVICE Filed June 18, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2lazqeizfor: JZrZer Z0. orndw,

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Patented Mar. 4, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HERBERT W. ORNDOFF, OFNEW ORLEANS,

LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOE TO THE E. V. BEN- JAMIN 00., INCL, OF NEW ORLEANS,LOUISIANA, A CORPORATION OF LOUISIANA GRI PING DEVICE Application filedJune 18,

This invention relates to improvements in gripping devices, and moreparticularly concerns such devices for employment in removing a sheetfrom a printing cylinder.

The invention is illustrated in connection witha sheet handling machinein which a length of material is assumed to be cut into equal lengths,delivered to a printing press, removed therefrom and folded for furtheroperation. In the specific illustration, it is shown as applied to a bagprinting and folding machine of the type set forth in the Goben Patent1,482,605 of Feb. 5, 1924. r

In such a machine, the cut lengths of cloth or other'material aredelivered to a printing cylinder of large diameter on which they areimprinted and from which they are removed by a receiving drum which inthe illustrated form delivers them to a discharging drum for folding.The receiving drum is usually made about one-half the diameter of theprinting cylinder, and as it is driven atthe same peripheral speed, itmakes two revolutions to one revolution of the printing cylinder. Thegripping fingers must extend beyond the periphery of the receiving drumin the gripping position: and hence it has heretofore been customary toprovide a recess half way around the printing cylinder from the positionof the edge of the cloth or other material being printed, to permit thepassage of the gripper fingers, without entering the path of thecylinder. I

According to the present invention, the actuating member for the gripperfingers on the receiving drum is caused to operate differently upon thegripping devices at the time when the gripper fingers come opposite theprinting cylinder, accordingly as the bag is to be seized or not.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure, 1 is a sectional end view of the operative parts substantiallyon line 11 of F 2.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of one end of the machine.

FigsB and 4 are sectional end views on a larger scale than that of Figs.1 and 2, substantially on lines 3 3 and 44 of Fig. 2',

1923. Serial No. 286,386.

respectively, but with parts omitted for greater clearness.

In these figures, the lengths of bag material are delivered to theprinting cylinder 19 in any suitable manner, and as the cylinder turnsabout its axis 17, the bags are printed and the advancing edge comesoppo site the receiving drum 31 (Fig. 1) for engagement by grippingdevices mounted on this receiving drum 31. These gripping devices removethe bag material from the printing cylinder 19 and carry it over toengagement with the discharging drum 81 moving on an axis 80, from whichit is finally discharged froin the machine, usually with a simple foldto form the bag ready for scwing. The diameter of the printing cylinder-19 is about twice that of the receiving drum 31, and the latter iscaused to make two revolutions for one of the cylinder 19.

It is preferred to form the receiving drum 31 as a plurality of spaceddisks 82 (Fig. 3) fastened to a common shaft 30 by set screws 33. Thesedisks are usually formed with spider arms 33 for greater lightness. Thedisks are provided with the arcuate slots 36 to receive the common shaft56 of the gripper devices. This shaft is journaled on the rock arm 47for each disk mounted on the shaft 80, so that it may be swung aroundtolocate the gripper shaft 56'at various points in the arcuate slot 36with respect to the folding blade 41', according to the widths orlengths of the bags to be folded. The arm 47 is likewise provided with aplate 52 having apertures for alocating pin 54 and a securing screw 53,and being provided adjacent the periphery of the disk 32 with a grippingplate 55 to cooperate with the gripping finger 6O proper, which isfixedly secured to the roller gripping shaft 56 by a set screw 61.

' At the end of the shaft 30 is secured a control disk 31' in which theshaft 56 is jour' naled. This shaft 56 carries at the end outside thecontrol disk 31 a lever arm 68 having at one end a roller 70 and at theother end a pivot 72, whereby it is connected to the link 7 i which isguided in an eye 34 on the disk 31*. The spring 7 5 reacts between acollar 74* on the rod 74'and the eye 34 to V thereto.

force downward on the rod 74in the position of Fig. 4, and therebyconstantly tends to rock the shaft 56 and its lever 68 in a clockwisedirection.

During each revolution of the shaft 30 with its receiving disks 32 andcontrol disk 31, the roller is brought into contact with a stationarycam 64 fastened by the feet 64 to the side standard 10 of the machine2). As a result of this engagement, the roller 70 is forced outward orin a counterclockwise direction with respect to the axis of shaft 56.against the spring 75, thus rocking the shaft 56 to cause the gripperfinger 60 of the respective disks 32 to be opened to the position shownin Fig. 3. When the roller 7 0 leaves the surface of the stationary cam64, it is permitted to rock inward'under the action of the returningspring until the gripper fingers 60 are again closed against therespective plates 55, and if a bag has been brought between the gripperfingers and the plates by the printing cylinder 19, this edge of the bagis engaged and the bag is drawn over onto and along with the receivingdrum 31.

The cam 64 is composed of two parts, one remaining absolutely fixed withrespect to the standard 10 and the other being adapted to movetoward andfrom the standard but being stationary with respect to the shaft 80.This latter extension or portion 65 of the cam 64 is carried fixedly ona lever 66 which is pivoted on a cap screw 67 carried in a foot member69 of the framework 10; and at the other end of the lever ispivotallymounted a roller 90 having its axis of rotation radially directed withrespect to the shaft 17 of the printing cylinder 19. The printingcylinder is provided on its end with a cam 91 fixed This cam is locatedsubstantially opposite the point of the printing cylinder at'which islocated the advancing edge of the bag being printed, being located onthe printing cylinder so that the roller 90 is engaged by the cam 91just before the roller 70 comes to the end of the fixed portion of thecam 64 (e. g., when the roller 7 0 is at the position 7 6 in Fig. 1).The roller 90 causes the lever 66 to rock in a clockwise direction inFig. 2, and to'bring the cam extension 65 into the same plane as thefixed portion of the cam 64, so that the roller 70 will now travel overthe full extent of the cam 64 and its extension 65, and thereby causethe roller 70 to open the gripper finger 60 for the reception of theprinted bag. As soon as the roller 7 0 reaches the position 7 0 (Fig. 1)it passes from the cam surface respectively toward the axis 30, so thatthe gripper fingers are closed upon the edge of the bag and the latteris drawn around with the receiving drum.

As soon as the roller 90 leaves the cam 91 during the movement of thelatter beneath it, the lever 66 is rocked in a counterclockwisedirection by the returning spring 83 fastened to an adjustable arm 84secured to a suitable point of the standard 10. The cam 64 and the camextension 65 are formed with beveled edges so that the two parts areheld in the same plane when actuated by the roller 90: and are likewiseprovided with interlocking members 64 to prevent a relative upwardmovement of the cam extension 65 under the pressure of the roller 70.

In operation, a bag is printed on the printing cylinder, and during therotation. of this cylinder, the cam 91 is caused to rock the roller 90in a clockwise direction in Fig. 2, so that the cam extension 65provides a full length track for the roller 7 0 when the ad vancing edgeof the bag material comes 0ppo site the receivingdrum, thereby openingthe gripping fingers 60 so that the bag material enters beneaththegripping fingers; and upon the passage of the roller 70 from the endof the cam surface on the cam extension 65, the gripping fingers 60 aremoved downward to pinch the advancing edge of the bag material againstthe gripping plates 55 of the respective disks 32 along the length ofthe printing cylinder 19. The bag is thus removed from the printingcylinder 19. When the receiving drum has completed one rotation, theprinting cylinder has onlyrcompleted a half rotation, but at this time,the

lever 66 has already been rocked in a counterclockwise direct-ion inFig. 2 so that the cam that the printing plate may be permitted toextend substantially throughout the entire periphery of the printingcylinder 19, and without the necessity of providing a groove in theprinting cylinder for the passage of the fingers 60 at apointdiametrically opposite the advancing edge of the bag material beingprinted.

It will be understood that in the illustrated form, the receiving drumis caused to engage the bag material substantially midway of its lengthby the foldingblades 41 held at'the peripheries of the respective disks32 by the plates 40 and securing screws 42. The position of the grippingfingers 60 and gripping plates 55 with respect to the folding blades 41is adjusted by loosening the set screws 46 and 81 and rotating the arms47 and control disks 31 relatively with respect to the receiving disks32 and shaft 30 until the peripheraldisv 115 and 116.

tance of the gripping plate from the folding blades 41 is about equal tothe width of the finished'bag; whereupon the screws 46 and 31* are againtig tened to hold the control disk, arms 47 an the receiving disks 32rigidly together.

Any desired means. may be employed for causing the printing cylinder andthe receiving and discharging drums 31 and 81 to rotate at the properand respective peripheral velocities, conventionally shown as gears 85,

It is obvious that the invention is broadly applicable in the art, andthat it is not limited in its application to the specific example shown.

l/Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a sheet handling machine having a cylinder and a receiving drum'ith driving means therefor, said drum being driven at a greaterrotational speed than said cylinder, a gripping device carried by saiddrum and adapted to seize a sheet on said cylinder, said gripping devicehaving a shaft, a gripping finger and a rock lever with a cam-engagingmember fixed to said shaft, a cam by said cam to present said fingerlever, a cam mounted on said'cam lever to rock into and out of the pathof movement of said cam-engaging member, and means on the cylindercooperating with said cam lever to rock said cam lever and cain to aposition in which the cam-engaging member is moved for seizing a sheeton the cylinder.

2. In a sheet handling machine having a cylinder and a receiving drumwith driving means therefor, said drum being driven at a greaterrotational speed than said cylinder,

a gripping device carried by said drum and adapted to seize a sheet onsaid cylinder, said gripping device having a shaft, a gripping fingerand a rock lever with a cam-engaging member fixed to said shaft, a camlever, a

cam mounted on said cam lever to rock into and out of the path ofmovement of said camengaging member, means to normally retract said camout of the position in which it is in alinement with said cam engagingmember, and means on the cylinder cooperating with said cam lever torock said cam lever and cam to a position in which the cam-engagingmember is moved by said cam to present said finger for seizing a sheeton the cylinder.

3. In a sheet handling machine having a cylinder and a receiving drumwith driving means therefor, said drum being driven at a greaterrotational speed than said cylinder, a gripping device carried by saiddrum and adapted to seizea sheet on said cylinder, a relativelystationary cam to. open said device ready for seizing the sheet, a camextension adapted in one position to hold said device in seizedcondition when opposlte the .cylinder, cooperating elements on said camand said extension'to a'line andpreventmoveto move the same into aposition in continua tion of said cam.

f. In a bag printing machine having a cylinder and a receiving drum withdriving means to move said drum by a plurality of revolutions for eachrevolution of said cylinder, said receiving drum having a rock shaftthereon, gripping fingers fixed to said. rock shaft and movabletherewith, a cam, a cam extension, said fingers in one position beingoutside of the path of the cylinder periphery, and in a second positionin the path of such periphery to seize a bag blank on the cylinder, aroller eccentrically mounted on the rock shaft to cooperate with the camand extension to open said gripping fingers and hold them in said secondposition, a cam lever pivoted on the machine frame to present said camextension in continuation of said cam or remove it therefrom, and a camon said cylinder engaging said lever to move said cam extension intocontinuation of said fixed cam whereby to hold the fingers in saidsecond position when a bag blank is to be seized.

5. I11 a sheet handling machine having a cylinder and receiving drumwith parallel axes and driving means therefor, said drum being driven ata greater rotational speed than said cylinder, gripping devices carriedby said drum and adapted to seize a sheet on said cylinder, operatingmeans for said gripping devices, a cam lever mounted on a fixed pivotwhose axis is substantially at right angles to said axes, a cam securedto said lever to rock into a position in which it is engaged by saidoperating means and a position in which it is free of said operatingmeans, and a cam moving with said cylinder to rock said lever, wherebythe said devices are opened ready for seizing asheet in one of saidpositions and are retained closed in the other of said positions.

6. In a sheet handling machine having a cylinder and receiving drum withparallel axes and driving means therefor, said drum being driven at agreater rotational speed than said cylinder, a gripping device carriedby said drum and adapted to seize a sheet on said cylinder, operatingmeans for said gripping device, a fixed cam member adapted to cooperatewith said operating means to open said gripping device ready for seizinga sheet on said drum, a cam lever, a movable cam member secured to saidlever and adapted to rock therewith into a position 1n extension of saidfixed cam in which it engages said operating means to hold said deviceopen and then to release it for seizing the sheet on the cylinder, andinto a position in which itis disengaged from said fixed H7 W. ORNDOFF.

